Skykit's Journey
by WolfLover999
Summary: Skykit is taken from ThunderClan by Twolegs, to a place very far away. Will she survive the journey home? Inspired by Erin Hunter's Warriors, rated T, just in case.
1. Chapter 1: Captured

Chapter 1: Captured

Leaves crackled under Skykit's paws as she stalked the scrawny robin. She prayed to StarClan that she didn't alert the tiny piece of prey. Then the robin stopped dead in its tracks, and flew. Skykit leaped up, her claw a kitten-step away from red-and-black bird's wing.

It was useless. The brown tabby she-cat's only hope of prey had been so close to keeping her Clan from starving, yet so far away. Skykit heard a monster rumbling on near by and hid in a patch of leaves, just hoping the Twoleg didn't see her. A huge, white monster screeched as it halted, the Twoleg inside its huge hollow head.

Suddenly a flap in its cheek opened and the Twoleg stepped out with a long, hard stick, a hard reed tied in a circle at the end of it, in his hand.

Skykit backed away and attempted to retreat to his Clan, but as soon as the leaves crumbled, the twigs cracked, her tabby fur showed, the Twoleg lunged towards her and she ran for her life.

The Twoleg gave chase, yowling something as loud as thunder. Skykit didn't look back.

She ran and ran, but the Twoleg gained on the tiny kit. Suddenly something really hard but thin tightened around Skykit's neck, almost suffocating her.

She was jerked back painfully, back and back, and then taken out of the painful grip of what had seemed like a thin snake.

The Twoleg held her in his giant paw by her scruff, and suddenly pushed Skykit toward the back of a little nest. The flap at the front slammed shut, and Skykit saw tiny slits in it.

She backed up against the wall, then lunged forward as hard as she could. She hit the flap.

Nothing happened. It didn't even vibrate. Then she heard a sound as loud as thunder and the small nest began to shake like an earthquake she rolled and tumbled, but no matter how she tried, she couldn't get to her paws.

Suddenly it smoothed out. It was sort of – soothing. But she heard yowling. Her _mother's _yowling.

"No! No!" She hissed, using all of her breath. She desperately tried to get through the slits, but it was no use. She peaked out of the hole. She saw a flash of dark brown fur and piercing amber eyes.

"Mother!" She yowled, but suddenly she was gone. Then the nest bumped and she hit the back with a loud thud. Everything turned black.

_Thud. _Skykit woke up with a jolt. "Mother? Father?" She shivered. Where was the warmth of her older sister? Why was there no warm, soothing, milk scent? She could only smell the Thunderpath. A really_ strong_ scent of the Thunderpath. Her eyes soon adjusted to the gloom, and they shot open wide as she remembered where she was.

"Help! Help!" She yowled, clawing at the slits in the front of the little nest.

"Shut up!" Came a furious hiss. She jumped back. "Who are you? _Where _are you?" She squeaked, frightened.

The cat growled. "Shut up, would you, you stupid furball!" Suddenly the tiny kit remembered the deep voice of the ShadowClan elder. "Russetfang? Is that you?" The cat snorted. "Are you Skykit?"

"Yes," Skykit replied, stifling a squeak of joy. "Then yes, it is me." Skykit only just stopped herself from jumping up and down with joy.

"Skykit? Skykit, is that you? The ThunderClan kit?" Came a soft but curious voice. "Sorrelpelt! There you are!"

"I know, I know, families reuniting up there, but would you _be quiet?_" Hissed a furious, unfamiliar voice. Skykit ignored him, and soon remembered two of her friends who had gone missing from WindClan. "Breezeheart? Fallowclaw? Are you there?"

There was no reply. Then a quiet mumbling rung around the little dens, and a reply came up, quiet but familiar. "Skykit? You're there?"

"Breezeheart!"

"Whatever you want up there, I'm here." Came a very soft, yet grumpy and deep reply. "Fallowclaw! I can't believe it!"

"Skykit? Sorrelpelt? _Guys_?"

"Lightningheart!" Skykit squeaked excitedly. "I know, I know, lots of reunited friends and family, but could you _please _be _quiet_?" There was no reply. Everyone was quiet.

Skykit sighed and half-worriedly curled up to just have dreams about her half-sister's father, who was killed by a monster.


	2. Chapter 2: Jake

Chapter 2: Jake

"One dead fish, lay by the river," A cat started.

"One dead fish," Two other cats – by the sound of it – followed on.

"Dead and lonely, smelly and stinky." The first cat went on, waking Skykit up.

"Dead and lonely," The other two repeated. Skykit peered out through tiny, thin, short tree-like things to see three cats singing.

"One dead fish, picked on by the seagulls,"

"Picked on by the seagulls," The other two followed glumly. Skykit was amazed. The leading cat – a kit – had the most _amazing _voice Skykit had ever heard!

The other two... Well, they were okay. Skykit listened intensely at the really pale grey tom's song.

"So, so, so, so, sad and glum." He sang on. "Sad and glum," The others followed. "Silver and lifeless, motionless and dead,"

"Motionless and dead," The others didn't sound or look like they were having much fun. "One day when the sun grew hot,"

"The sun grew hot,"

"The fish dried up," It was a sad song, yet that kit had a huge grin on his face and a lovely, happy tone when he sang. "Dried up, dried up." The other two followed sadly.

"And then – Oh, hi there," The kit noticed Skykit as he opened his eyes to look around him. "Do you... Like my song?" Skykit didn't hear at first. Then she shook her head and replied, "Um... Um... Yes."

"Well, then, you're not the first." Skykit waited and waited until he started again. He didn't. "Please go on," pleaded Skykit. "Please." The kit glanced at his two companions warily, then shrugged and started again. "And then the sun, was so hot," He sang on, his excellent voice drawing Skykit towards him.

"The sun, the sun,"

"It dried up the sea." The really pale grey tom sang on with his two companions. "Dried up, dried up," His companions sang on too, glumly.

"The beautiful sea." The tom finished. "The sea, the beautiful sea." His companions followed, finishing the song. "So, how'd you like it?" The kit asked Skykit. "It was the best thing I've ever heard," Skykit mewed, her brain confused and weak in how much love she had for the kit's song.

The pale grey tom kit put a huge grin on his face. Then he shook his head and it was just a little smile. "My name's Jake. What's yours?"

Skykit gulped. This kit was a kittypet. She could tell by his name. Her throat dried up. Her flanks suddenly felt heavy, like they were holding two fallen trees on them. Her tongue felt like a desert. But she managed to squeak, "Skykit," without sounding like an elder.

"Skykit? That's an-" Suddenly a thin female Twoleg padded through the long tunnel that separated her and the singing tom's cages. She shrunk back. A huge, muscular, male Twoleg followed behind her. Their pawsteps echoed around the big space. The female Twoleg looked from nest to nest, and suddenly bent down and stuck her finger into the little nest Skykit was in.

She yowled something at the male, and he yowled something in reply. Just as the flap in the front of the little nest opened and the Twoleg reached in to grab Skykit, she hissed and raked the air in a threatening warning.

The Twoleg jumped back and closed the door quickly. She hurriedly padded away. _I showed her, _Skykit thought, triumphantly.

Soon after the female padded out of the tunnel with a small, frightened-looking black-and-white tom clutched in her paw. She handed over weird-shaped yellow and green leaves to the male Twoleg and disappeared out a flap.

"Good-bye, Patcher," Jake whispered just as the female opened the flap. When they were both gone, Jake oddly finished his sentence. "-odd name."

_You could say that with yourself, _Skykit thought, but bit back the stinging retort. She didn't want to offend this kit. She wanted to make friends. All of a sudden she noticed the overwhelming weird scent of rogues. She looked around. They were everywhere. Jake was a kittypet; she knew by his name, and the scent that came off him. But his companions were not.

One was a skinny, light brown tom. His teeth were crooked, and the unfriendly stench of death clung to him well. He had very unkempt fur.

The other was an average-sized grey tom. But he had the peculiar scent of the forest, but no ThunderClan, WindClan, ShadowClan or RiverClan scent on him. The little nest next to the three singing kits was filled with a sleek blue-grey tom.

He had unkempt fur and only a stump for an ear. The little nest above them had two cats in it.

One was a ginger tabby tom with green eyes. The other was a small white she-cat with long legs and a nicked ear. Suddenly the muscular male Twoleg from before stomped in. He pulled open the flap of one of the little nest and took out a blue-grey she-cat with a stump for a tail and one long scar down her side and another scar over her eye.

He stomped away, the black pelt he wore thick, but waving around.

"No! No! Help her!" Wailed a small tortoiseshell rogue. Skykit guessed the cat was her relative. A light brown she-cat with darker dapples all over her rested her tail on the she-cat's shoulders. She mumbled something Skykit didn't catch.

"So where do you come from?" Jake asked, snapping her gaze back to the pale grey tom. "Uh... ThunderClan." Skykit stammered. "Oh. I come from 42 Watson Street." Jake replied. Then he turned to his companions and whispered with them. Then they sang again. "If there was love, in my heart," Jake started.

"In my heart," the other two followed. "I would be followed."

"Followed, followed."

"Because of the rays of my affection," Jake sang on, and Skykit's mind rested.

"Of my affection," the other two went on. "And my close, close connection," Jake sang on, his voice touching Skykit. "Close, close, connection." The other two followed glumly. "To the sky, to the sky."

"The sky." His companions repeated quickly. Skykit's heart skipped a beat as she realised what the new song was about. It was about _her. _But she couldn't make the words form to tell Jake to stop.


	3. Chapter 3: First Love

Chapter 3: First love

The words of the song soothed Skykit. She felt a tingling in her paws she never felt before towards the singing kittypet. She started to forget the fact he was a kittypet, or had a weird name. She wasn't just friends with this cat.

She was his _love. _

She let the words sooth her to go floppy in her nest. She didn't care about the line between them that kept them apart. Soon the song soaked into her, and she found herself lying asleep in the little nest.

_Bash. _The brown tabby she-cat awoke from her slumber, expecting to see the kittypet's affectionate look resting on her. She never saw them.

She was in a tiny, blue nest. It was bumping and shaking around. _No! _She screamed in her head, but they never escaped from her mouth. _Crash. Thud. _The sounds of her body tumbling around where heard all around. She peered out through the gap in between the short, skinny, tree-like things and saw Jake looking out sadly at her.

He started to sing. _The last song I will ever hear... _Skykit thought sadly.

"My heart is taken, my heart is lost," He sang. "Is taken, is lost,"

"The love and affection of my life," Jake went on. "Of my life," The others followed. "Is gone."

"Gone, gone, gone." Suddenly the sound of his wonderful voice was shut out. "No!" Skykit couldn't stop yowling. She clawed at the tree-like things at the front of the nest. Suddenly the Twoleg taking her out stopped.

It turned. It went back through the flap. It bent down to Jake's nest and opened the flap at the front. The female Twoleg yowled something to a skinny male, and he replied in more yowls.

She nodded, handed over more of the weird-shaped, peculiar-coloured leaves and took Jake out. She pushed him into the little nest with Skykit and took him out the flap, too.

Skykit smiled. She couldn't help it. She just couldn't. She nuzzled Jake, still not giving away the fact that she _loved _him. Then something happened. A rough, familiar feeling went over her muzzle. A tongue.

No, a _kiss. _Skykit wanted to push away. But she couldn't. She was drawn to this cat. She loved him too much. Soon after, she found herself dreaming.

Skykit woke up snuggled next to Jake in a Twoleg nest. The scent of kittypet food was close by. She got up on shaky legs and padded toward an unfamiliar scent.

She found something that looked like thick milk on a hard, round, white leaf. Next to it were two round, hard, red things joined together. They had holes in the middle, one filled with murky water and the other with hard pellets.

She decided to taste the thick milk stuff. She licked a tiny drop of it. It tasted... good. She licked up a few more bits and reluctantly swallowed some of the disgusting water.

Then Jake padded in. "Good morning." He mewed, and ate some of the hard pellets.

Skykit looked through a transparent wall. She could see the sky, although it was sort of fuzzy. It reminded her of ThunderClan. And how today she would have been named an apprentice.

Skykit sighed. She would have to wait until that day. Jake padded up. "What's wrong?" He followed the brown tabby she-cat's gaze. "Ah. I see." Then he padded over to a flap in the wall of the nest. He scratched on it loudly and yowled.

There was a loud thud and a male Twoleg padded over to the flap. He opened it and stomped back to where he had been before. "Go on," Jake urged Skykit. "Go outside."

Skykit gulped and padded over. She took a step outside the flap onto hard stone. She padded down three weird stone hills.

Then she stepped to the side. She flexed her claws in the soft soil underpaw. She was grateful for the familiar feeling in her claws. She heard a bird chirping and ducked into the hunter's crouch. She crept forward silently.

She ducked under the branches of a hedge, and soon spotted the bird. It was perched on a stone tree-like thing with a round top. Seeds fell from the round top, and there were no leaves. She crept closer, and then pounced.

She scrambled up the stone tree and quickly hooked the bird's wing before it could fly away. Suddenly she fell. With a loud thud she hit the ground. The bird flew off weakly, but she waggled her haunches and pounced.

She only just caught the bird and brought it down. She nipped its spine and it fell limp.

"Impressive!" Skykit turned to see Jake watching, clearly impressed. Skykit smiled.

**AN: Skykit was 8 moons at sight. Her ceremony was postponed for something really, really bad, so yes, she can be in love. **


	4. Chapter 4: A kittypet's life

**Chapter 4: A kittypet's life**

It had been two moons since Skykit had been taken to the Twoleg nest. She had learned to catch prey there, too, and she made dirt under a certain hedge, instead of the thing filled with gravel.

She had learned there was a hole in the fence, which she crept through everyday to drink at a clear-water pond.

Skykit had learned how to avoid turning into a kittypet, although when her Twolegs watched, she ate the hard pellets and thick milk, so they didn't get suspicious.

Jake had also taught her what the things in a Twoleg nest were called.

Skykit yawned and woke from her kittypet bed. She crept out and scratched at the door. No one came. She scratched again. The Twolegs still didn't come. She looked around. She smiled and jumped up to the window. The brown tabby kit squeezed through and landed on soft earth.

Jake was out there already. She came up and nuzzled her mate, then padded past him. She squeezed half-way through the dent in the fence, but Jake stopped her. He knew Skykit wasn't going for a drink.

"Where are you going?" His eyes were filled with sorrow. Skykit sighed, crept out and turned to the pale grey tom.

"Back to ThunderClan." Jake's eyes widened in sorrow and surprise. As Skykit turned to squeeze through the fence again, he stepped forward and puffed out his chest. "Then I'm coming with you."

"What? You're really going to leave your kittypet life behind?" Skykit gasped, turning back. "For you I am," Jake replied. "As far as your territory, at least." Skykit was about to send him back, but she thought better of it and let him come. "Okay." She mewed, and squeezed through the hole. Jake followed.

A monster's horrible overwhelming scent hit the two cats just before they heard and saw it rumbling across the Thunderpath. Skykit looked back at her mate, and he nodded. She crept forward and crouched in front of the Thunderpath, Jake next to her. She looked both ways and listened.

A monster rushed past before she yowled for them to go. They ran across the stinking Thunderpath. A dog started yapping from the garden in front of them.

Jake bristled. "Don't worry," Skykit soothed, and leaped onto the top of the garden's fence. "We'll be fine." Jake hesitated before jumping after her. The pale grey tom was still cautious when he padded along the thin fence top, but he followed with courage. Skykit jumped into the branches of a low tree at the edge of the fence.

Her mate followed quickly. The next garden was way too overgrown. It looked abandoned. The grass was about a tail-length over the height of the fence. They padded through it without trouble.


	5. Chapter 5: In harmony

**Chapter 5: In harmony**

By evening the two cats were nine gardens from there old home. "We should rest here." Jake suggested.

"Yeah." Skykit agreed. "But first we need to get away from the gardens." Jake nodded and tiredly followed the brown tabby she-cat. They found a Thunderpath. Skykit looked from side to side, and she realised the Thunderpath was empty from the end of it to the start of it.

It looked abandoned. She looked at one side and saw a high wall. "We need to head there," Jake unexpectedly mewed. "I know a good place where we can rest."

Skykit was impressed on how well this kittypet knew his way around Twolegplace.

She looked once more and gave a signal for him to follow her as she padded onto the uncomfortable, black surface. She padded closer and closer to the wall, but suddenly smelled the overwhelming stench of a monster.

She quickly ran to the side of the Thunderpath. Jake was already there.

When the monster came up, stopped, and turned onto another Thunderpath, the two cats bounded back onto it and towards the wall.

Finally they got there. The pale grey kittypet jumped right onto the wall and scrambled up to the top. He waited for his mate, balancing on the top of the huge wall. "Use the cracks in the wall to help you." He guided, and Skykit scrambled up after him, but with more difficulty. Skykit was getting suspicious of this cat now; he knew that they had to come towards the wall, and made climbing the wall look a lot more simple then when the brown tabby she-cat had climbed it.

Jake looked down and Skykit followed his gaze. There were several beds of moss there. Jake suddenly launched himself of the wall and landed smoothly on the beds of moss. Skykit copied, but had a scramble before getting to her paws again.

Suddenly a shape moved in the shadows of a huge pile of Twoleg stuff.

It came out and Skykit saw that it was a ginger tom. He had a lighter tail-tip, underbelly, and paws.

"Freddie! Good to see you." Jake mewed and came up to nuzzle the cat. "Jake! I knew you'd get out. And who's your companion?" Freddie nodded towards Skykit. "This is Skykit. I found her at the pound."

_The pound? _Skykit thought. Skykit had always tought that the singing pale grey tom was a kittypet, but she wasn't too sure now. She gulped.

"So where are the others?" Jake asked, looking around. Then a light blue-grey she-cat crept out of the shadows. "Ice! Harvey!" Skykit's mate mewed as a dark ginger tom padded in with a bird hanging from his jaws.

A thud was heard and Skykit turned around. A light brown she-cat stood on the moss beds with a mouse dangling from her jaws. She was followed by a big black tom who carried soaked moss, and a small dark grey tom who carried nothing but a scrap of Twoleg things.

"Sparrow! Stone, Boulder." Jake dipped his head. "Skykit, this is the gang."

Skykit's eyes widened. "So... You're _not _a kittypet?" Jake shook his head. "I'm a rogue." Skykit let out a sigh of relief and came up to nuzzle her mate. Then she stepped back. All the others – or, the gang – had gone back to sunbaking, eating, or just relaxing.

"But... How did you know about all the Twoleg stuff?" Skykit stammered. "Well, I spent my time in one of those, but that was because I was trapped." Suddenly three kits came bouncing up. One was a pretty russet she-cat with one white paw and blue eyes. The other was a light brown tabby she-cat with swirls all over her small body.

The third kit was a gorgeous light grey she-cat. "Aww, who's kits are these?" Skykit asked sweetly. Jake gulped. "Their mine." Skykit's fur rose. She was mates with a rogue, with another mate? "Tell me, exactly," Skykit mewed, angrily, "how many kits and mates have you got?"

Jake shied away a little. "Thirty-eight kits," he began, Skykit getting furious, "And thirteen mates." Skykit couldn't take this any longer. She raised her paw, and... Stopped.

This fact didn't matter. She _loved _this cat. No one could deny it. She hung her head and sighed. "Sorry. I just got-"

"-infuriated." Jake finished her sentence. He cast a glance at his friends, blinked in a way that seemed sort of... special, and started tapping his foot against the ground. Stone and Harvey followed and then, they started to sing.

"I know where you are," Jake started. "Because I was once there." Ice sung. "I know how you like me," Stone followed. "Because I once liked you." Suddenly the little light grey kit sung. She had a beautiful voice. "I was once there, I once liked you,"

"In harmony." The others followed. "In harmony." The kits repeated. "I know why you cry," Sparrow started. "Because I was once sad."

"I know that you can," Boulder sung. "Because I once could." the second kit followed. "In harmony," They all went on. "In harmony."

"I know if you're lost," Jake sung, rubbing against Skykit. "Because I am lost too," The gang followed after Jake. The pale grey rogue sung again. "I know how you feel,"

"Because I am with you." The cats sung again. "If you are hurt," Jake went on. "Or are in pain," his kits followed. "Because of the feeling," Jake sung with that wonderful voice of his. The gang and Jake sung together this time. "Of the pulse in your veins."

"But no matter what, we're always,"Jake sung in solo. "In harmony," everyone sang. And then... "In harmony." Skykit sung along.


	6. Chapter 6: Almost Home

Chapter 6: Almost home

Skykit padded along the rough surface of the Thunderpath. She had said goodbye to Jake for the last farewell, and was going on her way again. Suddenly she saw a glimpse of the green leaves of the trees in the forest.

_Yes! _The dark brown tabby she-cat thought, excitedly. _Almost home! _She ran towards the forest until she could smell the sweet scents of the soft soil and the rough bark.

She jumped to the side of the black surface as a monster rolled near. She padded along, then hid in some bushes as a dog and a Twoleg padded across the path. She checked the cost was clear before jumping onto the top of a fence. She crawled across it and saw Twoleg kits playing in a garden.

She padded onwards and climbed up a tree to see the path ahead of her. She saw it well and clear.

"Hey! Get out of my garden, you fox-hearted thief! Get down here and fight like a tom!" A cat suddenly yowled. Skykit looked down. A pitch black kittypet was down there.

She leaped down and stood face-to-face bravely with the thin kittypet.

"Who are you calling a thief, beetle-brain?" She hissed. "You, for stealing my territory!" Skykit clawed the kittypet's muzzle and it yelped, retreating into the Twoleg nest. Scarlet drops spattered the ground. She continued on her way. She jumped back onto the fence and onto the path. A monster rolled by on the Thunderpath followed by another, and then a brightly-coloured blue one raced across the rough path in the opposite direction.

Then Skykit raced forward. She got to the other side safely. "Hello! What's your name?" Suddenly a cat came bounding up to Skykit. "Skykit." The dark brown tabby she-cat answered. The cat suddenly turned fierce. "Tricked you, didn't I?" It growled, and lunged forward, raking Skykit's side. Skykit screeched and lunged forward, tearing the ginger tom's ear and scratching his eye. Then she turned around, kicked up some loose pebbles and ran. She ran up a tree, but the cat pursued her.

She yowled, and raked its paws. She dropped from the branch, making the ginger tom fall and hit the ground with a thud. She raked its throat and ran on.

The ginger cat chased her weakly, so she kicked more loose pebbles and dust then turned and flipped him over. She clawed its back and bit down on its tail before rushing off and into some bushes with strong-scenting flowers.

She heard about three dogs barking and ran up a near-by tree. She jumped down and landed on a Thunderpath.

The dark brown cat ran to the path on the side of the rough, black surface just before a monster hit her. She gasped and padded on towards the forest.


	7. Chapter 7: One slight delay

Chapter 7: One slight delay

It was night, and Skykit rested in some garbage cans. She dreamt about Jake and his songs, and her welcoming when she finally got back to her camp.

Skykit yawned and opened her eyes to see the sun low in the sky. She stretched and got up. She suddenly tumbled down a bumpy hill and hit the ground with a loud crash.

She got up weakly, limping slightly and turned around. A huge pile of Twoleg rubbish stood in front of her.

_Oh, no! _The she-cat yelped in her mind. She must be a season's journey from the forest now.

This was devastating. Suddenly a rattling behind her made Skykit jump and whip around. A large, black cat with a brown muzzle and underbelly was creeping down the side of one of the rubbish mounds. A scraggly old grey tom followed him, with a tiny white cat and a big ginger tom.

Soon they were at the bottom and padding in circles around Skykit. "Look what the truck pulled in." The ginger tom growled. "Come on, Boss, let's kill her!" The old grey cat hissed to the first cat.

The tiny white tom scrambled up to Skykit and sniffed her. "Ha, the same scent as that crazy old tom!" Skykit wondered if that meant this 'crazy old tom' was a ThunderClan cat, or at least a cat who lived in the forest. She found herself blurting out, "Tell me more about him!"

The tiny cat exchanged glances with the large black-and-brown tom. He flicked his tail, and the white tom stepped back as he stepped forward.

"He said he was he heading south to the forest,"

"That crazy old thing." Whispered the ginger tom. "He said he was going back to his Clan."

"Wh-what did he look like?" Stammered Skykit. "He was a lean, sleek-furred golden tom." _Lightningheart! _Skykit thought excitedly. "And now, yet another cat crosses our territory." The cat hissed.

"If you're heading south, too, we'll let you go. Dogs and badgers and foxes live in the forest, and that would be enough punishment. But, if you're not," the cat unsheathed his claws, "you can pay for the trespassing here."

"Oh, but I am headed south, towards the forest." Skykit stammered. "All right," the black-and-brown cat growled, "but don't get caught on our territory again."

The four cats watched closely as Skykit scrambled over the mound of Twolg stuff. When she got over, Skykit padded out of the gates and saw a Thunderpath in front of her. Monsters where zooming across it restlessly.


	8. Chapter 8: Tiani

Chapter 8: Tiani

_How am I supposed to get across _that_? _Skykit thought hopelessly. Then something that sounded like pelts brushing against leaves sounded behind Skykit, and she whipped around to see a white she-cat with cream circles around her eyes appear out of a bush. "Who are you?" Skykit hissed.

"I could ask the same thing," the cat mewed. "But I am Tiani."

"And I am Skykit." Tiani just nodded and jumped from the fence onto the path. "Do you want to get across the Thunderpath?" Tiani asked. Skykit nodded.

"Then watch and learn." Tiani padded up to the very edge of the Thunderpath and just leaped onto the back of a monster! Before it could growl away, she leaped another, and then the next. She landed on the other side in no time.

"Come on," The white she-cat urged. "It's perfectly safe." Skykit took a deep breath and jumped onto the first monster. It's smooth back was _boiling, _but Skykit jumped on. She jumped off the last monster safely onto the stony path.

"Where are you going?" Tiani asked. "South, to the forest." Skykit replied.

Tiani nodded and padded onwards. "Well? Are you coming?" the white she-cat asked, looking back. "Are _you _coming?" Skykit retorted.

"I love to help cats, and I've always wanted to see the forest, so, yes." Tiani replied, calmly. Skykit was grateful towards this cat now, but she didn't show it.

"Now we turn right and go on until we see bushes wuth strong-smelling yellow-and-white flowers." Tiani instructed, and the two cats turned a corner. A monster rushed past on the Thunderpath beside them, but they kept walking.

Then a huge, white monster halted at the edge of a near by path. Tiani gasped. "The pound!" She pushed Skykit under a hedge with lots of thick leaves.

"What's the pound?" Skykit asked quietly. "It's a place where Twolegs take wild cats. If you stay in the pound for too long, the Twolegs take you to be killed!" Skykit gasped. A few minuteslater the muscular male Twoleg got back inside the monster's head and the monster snarled off.

Then, after looking both ways, Tiani padded out of the bush and padded forwards, almost to the bush she had instructed to go to. Skykit followed.

"Now what?" Skykit asked. "We cross the Thunderpath and turn left at the blue Twoleg nest." Tiani told Skykit. They turned to the Thunderpath and Tiani just padded on.

"What are you doing?" Skykit hissed. Tiani didn't answer. Suddenly a monster came rolling closer. Tiani dashed for the other side of the hard black surface, and got there easily.

Skykit looked both ways and waited a little bit before dashing after her friend.

They padded on and turned a corner at a huge Twoleg nest that was blue with a white top.

"Now we go on and turn two rights, each when we can, then climb up a wall until we get to a circle of Twoleg nests." Tiani meowed, and turned right at a curve in the path. A dog started barking inside a fence, but Tiani just kept padding on. Skykit followed hurriedly. Then they turned another right and soon were at a wall.

Tiani scrambled up to the top easily. Skykit sniffed the air and scented something familiar... It was Lightningheart! The dark brown tabby she-cat scrambled up the wall but lost her grip near the top. Tiani lunged down and grabbed Skykit's scruff, hauling her up to the top of the wall.

"Thanks," Skykit mewed between pants. They jumped down and soon were in the middle of a circle of Twoleg nests. There was only one exit, other then the wall; a Thunderpath that looked completely empty.

Tiani pulled Skykit with her over to some large, brown objects. Suddenly there was a rumble of thunder and Skykit noticed the dark clouds gathering in the sky.

"Hurry! In, in, in!" Tiani pushed Skykit into one of the brown objects. She followed. Then Tiani flipped it over and there was no entrance or exit in or out of the object.

But there were small holes in the side of the brown thing, so they could breath.

Then the Skykit heard the growing sound of _tip-tap, pat-pit _on the top of the large brown object and knew the rain had started. Soon she drifted into sleep.


	9. Chapter 9: ThunderClan

Chapter 9: ThunderClan

Skykit yawned, and stretched. Or, at least, _tried _to stretch. Her head hit something and her paws and legs couldn't stretch out. She looked down at the warm bundle of fur beside her.

It wasn't her older sister, as she had assumed; It was an older white she-cat wit a pinky coloured circle around each of her eyes.

She looked around and memories flooded back to her as she saw the brown colour of the object she was in. With difficulty she flipped the object onto its side and let the rays of the sun soak into her fur. They were a little cold and chilly, but they were good enough.

Skykit looked up, squinting her eyes. Most of the sun was covered by lots of light grey, thick clouds. There were many more scattered across the sky, promising rain.

The other cat yawned and got up. "We've got to get at least halfway out of Twolegplace before the rain comes," Skykit meowed urgently. "We have to."

"Why? There's no rush. We can hunt first." Tiani mewed, stretching. Skykit nodded. "Good idea."

Skykit crept around and found a huge rat scuffling around in some huge Twoleg cans. Skykit flung herself onto it, killing it swiftly with a nip to the neck.

She went back to the huge brown objects, were Tiani waited with two small, golden fish. "Golden fish? How is that possible?" Skykit blurted out her thoughts.

Tiani shrugged. "Twolegs keep them in ponds surrounded by big rocks," the rogue told Skykit, and sunk her teeth into one of the fish, gulping it down. Skykit took huge bites out of her rat.

It was a few minutes earlier then sunhigh, and the clouds had gathered and darkened. They covered the whole sky. Skykit looked from side-to-side.

She found an abandoned Twoleg nest, with vines curled around it and low trees inside the fence. A few if the branches of one of those trees were hanging over the edge, leaving a sheltered spot for the cats. "We could shelter over there," Skykit suggested, pointing her tail towards the overgrown plants.

Tiani nodded and Skykit followed her under the shelter of the tree's branches. Then thunder sounded, and rain suddenly poured down from the huge, dark clouds.

Skykit and the rogue who was helping her get to the forest curled up, and slept.

Skykit yawned and stretched as the sun flashed in her eyes. She nudged Tiani awake and padded out of the make-shift den.

She was urgent to get to the forest by the end of the day. Tiani yawned and got up. She padded after Skykit, and this time Skykit led the way. To Skykit's surprise, she smelled the forest, although it was very faint. "Come on. The forest is close. I can smell it." Skykit meowed, and ran ahead.

Tiani ran alongside the tabby kit, for the first time looking not serious, but happy and like she was having fun. Then Skykit suddenly saw a flash of dark green and, the best of all she saw, a glimpse of sleek, golden fur!

"Lightningheart? Is that you?" She called. There was no answer. Then, she heard one.

"Skykit? Your here!" Skykit pelted forward. As she got there, she nuzzled her Clan's deputy. "Lightningheart!" Tiani ran forward and caught up with the brown tabby she-cat. "This is Lightingheart," Skykit introduced her friend to the rogue, "and this is Tiani." She mewed to the deputy.

The two cats nodded greeting, and padded onwards. Skykit followed, joyfully.

By evening, the cats had reached the edge of ThunderClan territory. Lightningheart took a deep breath and stepped onto his Clan's territory.

Tiani padded beside Skykit as she entered the inside of the border, and they padded onward. The tips of the trees were red and fiery orange due to the sun sending scarlet lights from the horizon.

The sky darkened as the cats walked on and on, closer and closer to the ThunderClan camp.

Soon, when the first warriors of StarClan were out, the three journeying cats reached the thorn tunnel. Lightningheart and Skykit ran through quickly and joyfully, but Tiani hesitated before padding through the spiky entrance.

As they got there, many cats peaked out of their dens or looked up from their prey, and lots came to greet the two Clan cats. Then Squirrelstar came bounding down from her den with Brackenpelt and Ashclaw following close behind. "Who is this?" The light ginger she-cat asked as her gaze flicked across Tiani. "This is Tiani. I met her in Twolegplace."

Brackenpelt stepped forward, growling. "Why did you bring her here?"

"She insisted to come." Skykit replied calmly. Ashclaw and Brackenpelt turned to look at the white she-cat. Tiani nodded, then stepped back and half-turned. "I wanted to see the forest, but now I have seen it. Good hunting." Then the Twolegplace cat disappeared out the thorn tunnel. "Well, Skykit, you have a well-earned ceremony to be done." Squirrelstar mewed, and jumped up onto Highledge.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" She yowled, and soon the Clan was gathered.

The ceremony was done, and Skykit was now Skypaw. Her mentor was Mousetail. Skypaw only had two moons left of training, and she used them well, and became a fine warrior.


End file.
